The difficulty of safely transporting sensitive products including perishable food items has been a common problem in the shipping industry. Many different approaches for shipping such goods have been proposed. Each approach, however, has a number of drawbacks.
For example, the oldest and simplest method for shipping perishable goods involves the use of insulated blankets or pads and careful handling. This method, although relatively inexpensive, is usually unsatisfactory because the pads do not adequately protect and insulate the goods. Moreover, careful handling is a labor intensive and thus costly process.
Another method involves the use of wood panels or crating to reinforce shipping cartons. This approach, however, considerably increases shipping costs. The production of crates is also a labor intensive process and the weight of wood-containing packaging systems significantly increases shipping costs.
Still another approach is the use of insulating panels inserted against the inner surface of each side of a carton. This most recent approach is often difficult to use because the insulating panels and the products must be carefully lifted and placed into the carton. This step increases both time and labor costs.
There is a need for packaging that is inexpensive to manufacture and use, collapsible for efficient storage and provides adequate protection for the products being shipped.